#82 | Who Knows You're Phenomenal? | Nicole Johnston on Why No One Knows What You Do

Please note: this episode contains mild language. Who actually knows what you're phenomenal at? Nicole Johnston spent thirty years leading sales and marketing at consumer products companies like Procter & Gamble, Hershey, and Kimberly-Clark. She watched talented women get looked over, underpaid, and pigeonholed, and eventually left corporate to become an executive and leadership coach for women. She is the founder of innatePOWER™ and the author of Taboo Topics: Things Women Should Talk About, But Don't. In this episode, Nicole explains why so many of us were raised to get it done quietly and move on, and why that leaves the people around us unsure of what we're good at or where we want to go. We cover how to say what you're good at without squirming, how to start the conversation with your boss, the "attagirl" folder, the mental load at work and at home, how to hand off a whole job without taking it back, the difference between a coach, a mentor, and a sponsor, and the calm question that works on sexism or cupcakes. Near the close, I share a little about IGNITE: The Inner Uprising™, a live, in-person gathering for women who are ready to remember the spark that has been buried for so long. Join the waitlist at https://ignite2026.lovable.app/ WHAT WE COVER 00:00 Welcome and Nicole's introduction 02:00 From Tide, Downy, and Huggies to coaching: Nicole's 30 years in corporate 03:00 Why she left a head of sales role to coach women 04:00 Gen X, "the feral generation," and why we get it done quietly 06:00 Say what you're good at out loud: sitting with the discomfort 08:00 Starting the conversation with your boss, using your data 09:00 The attagirl folder 10:00 Bringing it home: what the mental load really is 12:00 Writing it all down and handing over a whole job ("you now own Little League") 14:00 Handing it over without micromanaging, and letting go of the gold star 17:00 Where to start: follow the visceral reaction 18:00 The PowerPoint story: boundaries in real life 21:00 The phrase that works on sexism or cupcakes: "What do you mean by that?" 23:00 Coach, mentor, sponsor: the difference 25:00 How to cultivate a sponsor (start with your boss) 26:00 Choosing leadership roles outside of work 28:00 Everyone is watching: when one woman turns her light on 29:00 Taboo Topics and Nicole's upcoming TED Talk 30:00 Nicole's final golden nugget 32:00 Closing and a note about IGNITE: The Inner Uprising™ CONNECT WITH NICOLE JOHNSTON Website: https://www.innate-power.com/ LinkedIn:   / nicolemjohnston   Book: Taboo Topics: Things Women Should Talk About, But Don't [add Nicole's preferred book link] CONNECT WITH DENISE DRINKWALTER Website: denisedrinkwalter.com Instagram, YouTube: @thethriveafter45podcast IGNITE waitlist: ignite2026.lovable.app Subscribe so you never miss a new Thrive After 45® conversation, and if this one spoke to you, leave a review to help other women find the show. #ThriveAfter45 #WomenOver45 #WomenInLeadership #MentalLoad #Sponsorship #SelfAdvocacy #ExecutiveCoach #TabooTopics